An Ohio music festival has “decided to part ways” with headliner R Kelly due to community protest against the scandal-ridden singer. Outcry from concertgoers, performers, sponsors and vendors prompted Kelly and the Fashion Meets Music festival to “come to the mutual decision” to cancel Kelly’s gig on 29 August.

It’s almost unprecedented for a festival to call off a performance by its headliner, especially a festival in its inaugural year. Fashion Meets Music’s move had nothing to do with ticket sales, according to spokeswoman Melissa Dickson, and came after more than a month of internal discussions. “The festival has taken a lot of heat, and we really just wanted to listen to Columbus, [Ohio] and really take a stance and move forward,” she said.

Local band Damn the Witch Siren spearheaded the protests against Kelly, refusing to play at the festival in light of Kelly’s appearance. Another act, Saintseneca, withdrew from the lineup at the end of July. “Being so closely associated with [R Kelly], especially here in our own hometown, is something we are not comfortable with,” they wrote on their website. “We feel his selection as a performer ignores his very serious allegations of sexual violence and assault.” Fashion Meets Music’s partners, including radio station WCBE, subsequently announced they would not continue to work with the festival.

Despite allegations of rape and sexual abuse, the singer has never been convicted of these crimes. In 2008, a jury found Kelly not guilty on charges of making child pornography. The multi-platinum-selling musician faced renewed scrutiny last year, when the Village Voice highlighted a long-running investigation by Chicago journalist Jim DeRogatis, that accused Kelly of further offences.

In an email published Monday, Damn the Witch Siren hailed news of Kelly’s Fashion Meets Music split. “We’ve never been so proud to be part of the Columbus community,” they wrote. “We live in an incredible, intelligent, compassionate city, and we hope this sets an example and starts a dialogue throughout the entire country.”

A representative for the singer said: “R Kelly is sorry to disappoint his fans, but looks forward to seeing them in the near future during one of his upcoming tours.”

Even in the face of repeated accusations, the singer has remained a popular festival performer, appearing at Coachella and headlining the 2013 Pitchfork music festival. He last toured the UK in 2011.